SÜNUHAT-45-46-47

Why does the Sharî’ah reject this civilisation? {We seek after the virtues of civilisation and its goodness that are beneficial for mankind, not the sins and evils of it. The fools imitated its sins and dissipation by supposing them to be virtues, and they destroyed our property. Due to the sins of civilisation prevailing over its goodness and its evil being preferred to its virtue, mankind received two ghastly slaps, and the sinful civilisation was demolished by two world wars; mankind vomited it out so much that it messed up the face of the earth with blood. InshâAllah, with the strength of Islam in the future, the virtues of civilisation will prevail, clean the face of the earth from filth and establish general peace.}

I said: It has been founded on five negative principles. Its point of support is force, and the necessary consequence of it is transgression. Its aim is benefit, and the necessary consequence of it is jostling. Its principle in life is conflict, and the necessary consequence of it is collision. Its bond between the masses is racism and negative nationalism, which is nourished through devouring others, and the necessary consequence of it is such a severe clash. Its enticing service is to encourage, facilitate and satisfy the desires, appetites and wants of the nafs. And as for the desires of the nafs, the necessary consequence of encouraging them is to reduce humanity from an exalted level of malâikah to the lowest level of a dog. It is to cause man to change, in a ma’nawî manner1, into a beast (maskh). If most of these civilised people had turned inside out, you would see the pelts of wolves, bears, snakes, pigs, or monkeys.

It is for this reason that the present civilisation, has thrown eighty per cent of mankind into difficulty and misery, ten per cent into an imaginary bliss and left the remaining ten in between. Happiness is that which brings joy to the majority or most, but this is only for the smallest minority. The Qur'an, which is rahmah to all mankind, only accepts a civilisation containing the happiness of all, or at least the majority.

The tyranny of the freed desires of the nafs has made non-essential needs essential. At the time of Bedouin life, a man was in need of four things; civilisation has made him in need of a hundred things and cast him into poverty. Since the work performed for the livelihood does not cover expenses, it has led people to haram and cheat, and it has corrupted the foundations of morality. Despite the wealth and glory it gave to the community and mankind, it has made the individual and the person poor and immoral.

This civilisation vomited the savagery of previous ages all at once.